March 25, 2021
Your weekly roundup of news and analysis of elections in Eurasia, usually posted on Thursdays and occasionally updated throughout the week. For a full electoral calendar and interactive map, click here.
Train station in Novosibirsk, Russia, in southwestern Siberia. Novosibirsk was one of the cities where opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s “Smart Vote” tactical voting plan produced victories against Putin’s United Russia. Photo credit: Wikimedia/oskar karlin (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Upcoming Eurasia Elections
Kyrgyzstan Local Elections and Constitutional Referendum: April 11, 2021 and Parliamentary Elections Re-Run: Fall 2021 (proposed)
Kyrgyzstan holds local elections on April 11, along with a constitutional referendum, following political turmoil in October 2020 and a snap presidential election in January 2021. The political climate was tense heading into the October 2020 parliamentary elections. It subsequently exploded following said elections. More
Colleen Wood, The Diplomat (March 26, 2021): Local council elections a big test for Kyrgyzstan’s 2019 gender quota law
Erica Marat, Brussels Times (March 23, 2021): The EU must not stand by as democracy collapses in Central Asia
Elena Rodina, Committee to Protect Journalists (March 23, 2021): Kyrgyz journalists on the online ‘fake farms’ that threaten to kill them
Catherine Putz, The Diplomat (March 22, 2021): Concerns swirl around Kyrgyzstan’s draft constitution: presidential power, judicial independence, and civil society
Uzbekistan Presidential Election: October 24, 2021
Uzbekistan is holding a presidential election on October 24, 2021. Elections in Uzbekistan are neither free nor fair, and political opposition is not able to operate freely in the country. More
Bruce Pannier, RFE/RL (March 24, 2021): New Uzbek opposition party runs into the same wall as its predecessors
Armenia Snap Parliamentary Elections: June 20, 2021
Armenia is holding snap parliamentary elections on June 20 in an effort to defuse a political crisis following a defeat in the recent Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Paul Stronski, World Politics Review (March 26, 2021): Armenia needs more than snap elections to resolve its political divisions
AFP/Euronews (March 24, 2021): Armenia’s parliament votes to lift martial law ahead of June elections
RFE/RL (March 24, 2021): Armenian PM calls For changes to electoral system ahead of snap polls
Russia Parliamentary Elections: By September 19, 2021
Russia is due to hold parliamentary elections by September 19, 2021. Russian elections are neither free nor fair. Nonetheless, the opposition has been making some gains in recent regional elections, helped by opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s “Smart Vote,” a campaign of tactical voting, in which they developed a list of candidates the best chance of beating Vladimir Putin’s United Russia. More
Meduza (March 26, 2021): A new strategy for Moscow: During this year’s State Duma race, Russia’s ruling party hopes to split the opposition, deceive inattentive voters, and (as always) mobilize state employees
Henry Foy and Max Seddon, Financial Times (March 25, 2021): Navalny accuses Russian prison guards of ‘abuse’
Roland Oliphant, The Telegraph (March 24, 2021): Inside Team Navalny’s battle to free Putin critic as they threaten to launch nationwide protests
Matthew Luxmoore, RFE/RL (March 23, 2021): In Russia’s provinces, Navalny’s besieged movement says it’s ‘again gathering force’
Vladimir Isachenkov, AP (March 23, 2021): Navalny’s allies call for major protest across Russia
Alexander Vindman and Garry Kasparov, Washington Post (March 22, 2021): Opinion: In Russia, it’s not Navalny vs. Putin. It’s democracy vs. authoritarianism.
Past Eurasia Elections
Georgia Parliamentary Runoffs: November 21, 2020
Georgia held parliamentary elections on October 31 and November 21, 2020 in a climate of political tension, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and related economic fallout. Tensions have exploded into a full-blown political crisis. More
Agenda.ge (March 25, 2021): Ruling party will not consider holding repeat elections, release of opposition leader Melia at next EU-mediated talks
Joshua Kucera, Eurasianet (March 24, 2021): U.S. Senate weighs American response to Georgia’s political crisis
Vlagyiszlav Makszimov, Euractiv (March 23, 2021): EU envoy heads back to Georgia to continue mediation
Civli.ge (March 20, 2021): Opposition warns disobedience, large-scale rally on May 15
Moldova Presidential Runoff: November 15, 2020
Moldova a presidential election in November 2020. Pro-Europe center-right former Prime Minister Maia Sandu trounced pro-Kremlin leftist Igor Dodon, who had been the incumbent. However, no party has a clear majority in parliament (and Sandu’s allies are outnumbered by pro-Russian parties), leading to political instability and the constant possibility of snap elections. More
Madalin Necsutu, Balkan Insight (March 25, 2021): Moldova parliament rejects proposed PM, bringing elections nearer
Belarus Presidential Election: August 9, 2020
Belarus held a presidential election on August 9, 2020. In a vote widely deemed not free and not fair, incumbent Alexander Lukashenko declared victory. However, the opposition declared that Svetlana Tikhanovskaya had in fact won. Hundreds of thousands of Belarusians have taken to the streets in protest to demand free and fair elections, even in the face of assault and arrest by security forces. Protests continue. More
Reuters (March 25, 2021): Dozens detained as Belarus marks ‘Freedom Day’ with new protests
RFE/RL (March 25, 2021): U.S. calls for release of all political prisoners in Belarus
Lucian Kim, NPR (March 24, 2021): From exile, Tikhanovskaya calls for ‘2nd wave of protests’ against Belarus regime
DW (March 24, 2021): Belarus: UN to probe torture allegations during protest crackdown
Diana Magnay, Sky News (March 24, 2021): ‘Not your typical inmate’ – The inspiring Belarus political prisoner who even the guards respect
21votes does not necessarily agree with all of the opinions expressed in the linked articles; rather, our goal is to curate a wide range of voices. Furthermore, none of the individuals or organizations referenced have reviewed 21votes’ content. That is to say, their inclusion should not be taken to imply that they endorse us in any way. More on our approach here.
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Eurasia This Week: March 25, 2021
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Last Updated: April 6, 2021 by 21votes
March 25, 2021
Your weekly roundup of news and analysis of elections in Eurasia, usually posted on Thursdays and occasionally updated throughout the week. For a full electoral calendar and interactive map, click here.
Upcoming Eurasia Elections
Kyrgyzstan Local Elections and Constitutional Referendum: April 11, 2021 and Parliamentary Elections Re-Run: Fall 2021 (proposed)
Kyrgyzstan holds local elections on April 11, along with a constitutional referendum, following political turmoil in October 2020 and a snap presidential election in January 2021. The political climate was tense heading into the October 2020 parliamentary elections. It subsequently exploded following said elections. More
Colleen Wood, The Diplomat (March 26, 2021): Local council elections a big test for Kyrgyzstan’s 2019 gender quota law
Erica Marat, Brussels Times (March 23, 2021): The EU must not stand by as democracy collapses in Central Asia
Elena Rodina, Committee to Protect Journalists (March 23, 2021): Kyrgyz journalists on the online ‘fake farms’ that threaten to kill them
Catherine Putz, The Diplomat (March 22, 2021): Concerns swirl around Kyrgyzstan’s draft constitution: presidential power, judicial independence, and civil society
Uzbekistan Presidential Election: October 24, 2021
Uzbekistan is holding a presidential election on October 24, 2021. Elections in Uzbekistan are neither free nor fair, and political opposition is not able to operate freely in the country. More
Bruce Pannier, RFE/RL (March 24, 2021): New Uzbek opposition party runs into the same wall as its predecessors
Armenia Snap Parliamentary Elections: June 20, 2021
Armenia is holding snap parliamentary elections on June 20 in an effort to defuse a political crisis following a defeat in the recent Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Paul Stronski, World Politics Review (March 26, 2021): Armenia needs more than snap elections to resolve its political divisions
AFP/Euronews (March 24, 2021): Armenia’s parliament votes to lift martial law ahead of June elections
RFE/RL (March 24, 2021): Armenian PM calls For changes to electoral system ahead of snap polls
Russia Parliamentary Elections: By September 19, 2021
Russia is due to hold parliamentary elections by September 19, 2021. Russian elections are neither free nor fair. Nonetheless, the opposition has been making some gains in recent regional elections, helped by opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s “Smart Vote,” a campaign of tactical voting, in which they developed a list of candidates the best chance of beating Vladimir Putin’s United Russia. More
Meduza (March 26, 2021): A new strategy for Moscow: During this year’s State Duma race, Russia’s ruling party hopes to split the opposition, deceive inattentive voters, and (as always) mobilize state employees
Henry Foy and Max Seddon, Financial Times (March 25, 2021): Navalny accuses Russian prison guards of ‘abuse’
Roland Oliphant, The Telegraph (March 24, 2021): Inside Team Navalny’s battle to free Putin critic as they threaten to launch nationwide protests
Matthew Luxmoore, RFE/RL (March 23, 2021): In Russia’s provinces, Navalny’s besieged movement says it’s ‘again gathering force’
Vladimir Isachenkov, AP (March 23, 2021): Navalny’s allies call for major protest across Russia
Alexander Vindman and Garry Kasparov, Washington Post (March 22, 2021): Opinion: In Russia, it’s not Navalny vs. Putin. It’s democracy vs. authoritarianism.
Past Eurasia Elections
Georgia Parliamentary Runoffs: November 21, 2020
Georgia held parliamentary elections on October 31 and November 21, 2020 in a climate of political tension, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and related economic fallout. Tensions have exploded into a full-blown political crisis. More
Agenda.ge (March 25, 2021): Ruling party will not consider holding repeat elections, release of opposition leader Melia at next EU-mediated talks
Joshua Kucera, Eurasianet (March 24, 2021): U.S. Senate weighs American response to Georgia’s political crisis
Vlagyiszlav Makszimov, Euractiv (March 23, 2021): EU envoy heads back to Georgia to continue mediation
Civli.ge (March 20, 2021): Opposition warns disobedience, large-scale rally on May 15
Moldova Presidential Runoff: November 15, 2020
Moldova a presidential election in November 2020. Pro-Europe center-right former Prime Minister Maia Sandu trounced pro-Kremlin leftist Igor Dodon, who had been the incumbent. However, no party has a clear majority in parliament (and Sandu’s allies are outnumbered by pro-Russian parties), leading to political instability and the constant possibility of snap elections. More
Madalin Necsutu, Balkan Insight (March 25, 2021): Moldova parliament rejects proposed PM, bringing elections nearer
Belarus Presidential Election: August 9, 2020
Belarus held a presidential election on August 9, 2020. In a vote widely deemed not free and not fair, incumbent Alexander Lukashenko declared victory. However, the opposition declared that Svetlana Tikhanovskaya had in fact won. Hundreds of thousands of Belarusians have taken to the streets in protest to demand free and fair elections, even in the face of assault and arrest by security forces. Protests continue. More
Reuters (March 25, 2021): Dozens detained as Belarus marks ‘Freedom Day’ with new protests
RFE/RL (March 25, 2021): U.S. calls for release of all political prisoners in Belarus
Lucian Kim, NPR (March 24, 2021): From exile, Tikhanovskaya calls for ‘2nd wave of protests’ against Belarus regime
DW (March 24, 2021): Belarus: UN to probe torture allegations during protest crackdown
Diana Magnay, Sky News (March 24, 2021): ‘Not your typical inmate’ – The inspiring Belarus political prisoner who even the guards respect
21votes does not necessarily agree with all of the opinions expressed in the linked articles; rather, our goal is to curate a wide range of voices. Furthermore, none of the individuals or organizations referenced have reviewed 21votes’ content. That is to say, their inclusion should not be taken to imply that they endorse us in any way. More on our approach here.
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Category: This Week Tags: Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Uzbekistan